Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

CEDAR RAPIDS – Clear Creek Amana played much of its season opener against Class 1A top-ranked North Linn under stress.

The Lynx full-court pressure forced Clear Creek Amana into a frenzied pace, 27 turnovers and plenty of stressful situations.

“We didn’t handle the pressure very well the whole game, they sped us up and when we did break it we were going 100 miles per hour and we just couldn’t slow things up,” Clear Creek Amana coach PJ Sweeney said. “Credit to North Linn that’s what they do and they do it extremely well.”

With the game on the line the Clippers got themselves to their sweet spot.

Senior Ava Locklear hit a 15-foot jumper with 23 seconds remaining as 4A second-ranked Clear Creek Amana survived a furious second-half North Linn rally to win a 45-44 thriller on Saturday at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids.

“Bliss had a massive rebound and she kick it out and PJ (Sweeney) calls that my sweet spot,” Locklear said of the game-winner. “That’s where I am comfortable and it was just a habit to shoot it and it felt natural for me.”

Beck grabbed an offensive rebound and found Locklear alone at the free throw line for a jumper that proved to be the winner.

Clear Creek Amana had nine offensive rebounds and held a 30-15 edge on the glass over North Linn (1-1) to overcome 27 turnovers, including 12 in the final two quarters.

“In the end we got the stops when we needed,” Sweeney said. “Ava hit that big 15-footer and at the end of the day the W is the most important thing and we got that.”

Sophomore Averie Lower had 16 points including a key 3-poiner that gave Clear Creek Amana a 43-42 lead with 4:11 to play.

Locklear had a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds and senior Sam Schrage had 10 points as Clear Creek Amana shot 60 percent from the field.

The Clippers needed all of that to overcome a spirited second-half effort from North Linn.

“We rarely see a team that is as quick and scrappy as they are and they are good at it, they’ve been doing it for years,” Locklear said. “I think was good for us to see how we need to beat a team like that.”

Clear Creek Amana led 9-6 after one quarter and closed the second quarter on an 8-2 run to take a 23-15 halftime lead.

The Clippers opened the second half with 9-0 burst capped by a Lower 3-pointer that gave Clear Creek Amana a 32-15 lead.

North Linn shot 30 percent from the field in the opening half and missed its first four shots of the second half.

“We were working really hard on defense and not allowing them open shots,” Lower said.

“We’ve been working a lot on practice on defense every day and I think we’ve improved a lot defensively.”

The Lynx didn’t go away.

North Linn got back into the game with a 18-5 run that was fueled by four 3-pointers.

Clear Creek Amana led 38-33 after three quarters but North Linn opened the fourth on a 6-0 run taking its first lead since the opening quarter on an Allie Haughenbury basket with 5:12 remaining.

The Clippers had five fourth-quarter turnovers and went more than three minutes without a point to start the final quarter.

“We aren’t really used to the press and that style of play but we worked on lots of ways to break it in practice but it’s hard to simulate that,” Lower said. “There were more turnovers than we wanted but we didn’t get too frustrated and kept going.”

Lower gave Clear Creek Amana a 43-42 lead with a triple with 4:11 remaining but North Linn took the lead back on two free throws by Macy Boge with 3:20 remaining.

Neither team would score until Locklear’s game winner with 23 seconds remaining.

Clear Creek Amana held North Linn scoreless for the final 3:20.

“Coach has always said we are going to score on offense we just need to make sure we are getting stops on defense,” Locklear said. “We’ve been working hard on defense and drilling all of that stuff and I think PJ put us in a good spot tonight of knowing what we need to do against a team that is that good.”

North Linn                             6    9  18  11 –  44

Clear Creek Amana            9  14  15   7  –  45

North Linn (44) – Meghan Wheatley 1-1 0-0 3, Allie Haughenbury 1-2 2-2 4, Mackenzie Bridgewater 2-8 0-0 4, Macy Boge 7-12 2-2 19, Molly Boge 2-7 0-0 5, Kamryn Kurt 3-16 1-2 9, Totals 16-46 5-6 44.

Clear Creek Amana (45) – Kaylee Stratton 1-2 1-2 3, Averie Lower 4-8 4-4 16, Sam Schrage 5-8 0-1 10, Lena Evans 0-2 0-0 0, Kennedy Stratton 1-1 0-0 2, Bliss Beck 1-1 0-2 2, Ava Locklear 4-5 5-6 12, Totals 16-27 9-15 45.

3-point field goals – CCA 4-10 (Lower 4-7, Schrage 0-1, Evans 0-2), NL 7-20 (Wheatley 1-1, Bridgewater 0-3, Ma. Boge 3-5, Mo. Boge 1-4, Kurt 2-7). Rebounds – CCA 30 (Locklear 14), NL 15 (Bridgewater 5). Turnovers – CCA 27, NL 14. Total fouls – CCA 10, NL 12. Fouled out – None. Technical fouls – None.

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